Synthetic absorbable polymers have been used to produce various surgical products such as sutures, implants, prostheses, and the like, for several years. Illustrative U.S. Patents that disclose such polymers are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,297,033; 3,044,942; 3,371,069; 3,531,561; 3,636,956; RE 30,170 and 4,052,988.
This invention provides a new class of crystalline polymers that are absorbable and which have a good balance of physical and biological properties. In particular, the polymers, when fabricated into filaments, have excellent strength and compliance.